Natural Home Remedies for Yeast Infections

How Yeast Infections Start

The vagina always contains a balance of yeast (specifically candida) and bacteria--both are naturally occurring organisms which work together keep us healthy. One of these bacteria, Lactobacillus, helps to keep everything--including the vagina's pH--in check. If the balance of bacteria is disrupted it can cause a yeast infection. Imbalances can happen because of antibiotics, pregnancy, poor diet, stress, and hormonal changes.

Once the candida fungi grows out of control, a yeast infection occurs, resulting in itchiness and redness. If it goes untreated, a thick, white discharge, resembling cottage cheese, may occur.

Garlic, the Mighty Yeast Killer

Garlic is a big enemy of yeast and can help kill infections. The trick to use garlic effectively is to catch the infection early (when you are just feeling an itchiness that comes and goes and there is no white discharge).

To use as an effective yeast infection treatment, take a clove of fresh garlic and peel off the natural white paper shell that covers it, keeping the clove intact. Before you go to bed, place the clove of garlic in your vagina. In the morning, remove the clove and throw it away. (The effects of the garlic may cause you a watery discharge, so consider using a pantyliner during the night). One night’s treatment may be enough to kill the infection, but if you notice no change, repeat the process the following night. If the infection is more advanced (you are expelling white discharge), follow the steps from above, but make a small cut in the garlic clove before inserting it into your vagina. The cut in the clove exposes more of the garlic, making its anti-fungal activities stronger.

Source

The All-Powerful Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is an excellent multi-purpose wellness tool to have in your home. It is well known to have many health benefits, boasting anti-septic, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties. An added bonus is it can be used both internally and externally to successfully treat yeast infections. Be sure when using these yeast infection treatments that you do not use plain white vinegar as this will feed the yeast.

To use Apple Cider Vinegar internally, simply dilute it with water. Add 2-3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of filtered water and drink three times a day for a week to treat yeast infections. To use Apple Cider Vinegar topically, you must also dilute it. The best topical yeast infection treatment is to draw a warm bath and add two cups of apple cider vinegar. If you don't like the smell, or want an extra-soothing experience, add a few drops of lavender essential oil. Be sure to soak in the bath for at least 30 minutes. If you continuously use apple cider vinegar in your diet and beauty regime, you will help your body maintain its natural pH balance and prevent yeast infections before they start.

Source

Probiotic Yogurt

Using yogurt to prevent and treat yeast infections is a familiar and effective remedy. This is because of the large number of probiotics contained in yogurt, such as Acidophillus and Lactobacilli. These are considered "good bacteria," which help fight bacterial imbalances in your body that can cause yeast infections.

To use yogurt to as a yeast infection treatment, start by eating it regularly. You can find probiotic yogurt in most grocery stores (look for the names of Acidophillus and Lactobacilli on the label). If you are lactose intolerant and sensitive to yogurt, look for Acidophillus as a food supplement--it is just as effective and maybe even more convenient. When buying yogurt, be sure to get plain, unsweetened yogurt as any sugar will feed yeast. You can also use yogurt as a topical yeast infection treatment. Use your finger to gently rub some yogurt on and inside your vagina. You can also dip a tampon in plain yogurt and insert it into your vagina. Treat the tampon as any other and be sure to remove it after 8 hours.

Drink More Water

Nothing supports the body’s cleansing and elimination capacity like water. If you do not hydrate your body properly it will be become imbalanced and provide the perfect environment for yeast to grow. Drinking more water is a great yeast infection treatment, simply because it causes you to urinate more frequently and flush out toxins. The general accepted recommendation is to drink at least eight glasses of water each day to stay healthy and keep your immune system strong and balanced. If are prone to yeast infections, you should try to drink more water than the recommended amount. Add a little bit of sea salt to the water to create a super-hydrating solution. And as always, try to filtered water that is pure and free of toxins.

Source

Oil of Oregano

Oil of oregano's health-boosting properties include being anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory, while also containing a boatload of antioxidants. What makes it a great yeast infection treatment are two phenols known as carvacrol and thymol. These two powerful agents work together to dehydrate and kill harmful the pathogens and microbes that cause candidiasis and yeast infections.

The best way to use oil of oregano for the treatment of yeast infections is internally. Start by adding 3 drops to a glass of water and drink twice a day. You can gradually double the amount of drops for a stronger effect, but be careful--oil of oregano is quite potent and can burn if not properly diluted. Look for bottles of this aromatic, medicinal liquid in health food stores or online. You can also find oil of oregano capsules readily available for internal ingestion.

A word about essential oils: For maximum effectiveness, you'll want to look for pure essential oils without additives. The University of Minnesota has a great article in which they explain how to determine the quality of essential oils. I recommend reading the whole article, but the shortlist of important things to look for is as follows:

The Latin name (exact genus and species)

The plant's country of origin

No additives, or a statement purity

Statement of how the plant was grown or gathered (wildcrafted, organic, traditional, etc)

Source

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is another powerful essential oil which contains antibacterial properties that works well as a treatment for yeast infections.. One technique is to coat a tampon with coconut oil or KY jelly, apply a 2-3 drops of pure tea tree oil, and insert it into the vagina. Lubricating the tampon with oil or KY jelly does a couple things. First, it prevents the tea tree oil from being absorbed into the tampon. Second, it prevents the tea tree oil from coming into direct contact with the skin. Like oil of oregano mentioned above, tea tree oil is quite strong and can burn the skin, so it is important to dilute both. You can also look for vaginal suppositories made with tea tree oil, which are available in some pharmacies. If any of these remedies hurt, stop immediately. You may be using too much tea tree oil or have skin sensitivity to it. Another soothing method is to make a warm sitz bath (fill a tub with enough water to cover your pelvis) and add 2-4 drops of tea tree oil. Sit in the bath for 10 to 15 minutes each day until your symptoms subside.

Do not consume tea tree oil as it can cause toxicity, and before using, always test it on a small part of your skin for allergic reactions.

Cranberries fight infecton

Cranberry Treatments

The anti-infection properties of cranberries are well-known as effective treatments for the urinary tract and vagina. Not only do they help fight infection, but they help balance your vagina's pH, which helps speed recovery.

Cranberries are most effective when used at the first sign of a yeast infection. A great way to use it is to consume it directly. However, keep in mind that you do not drink cranberry juice cocktails with added sugar--the sugar will feed the yeast and promote its growth. Instead, look for completely natural and unsweetened juice. If it is too tart for you, try diluting it with a little bit of water or add honey to sweeten it without feeding your yeast infection.

Cranberry supplements are a convenient way to get your daily dose of cranberry without relying on juice. You can easily find cranberry supplements online and in most grocery stores. Take care to follow the dosage amounts as high doses of cranberry may cause stomach distress.

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)

Google AdSense Host API

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Facebook Login

You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Maven

This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)

We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)